Fat Girls Shop, too.

Not exactly a profound statement, but for someone who looks like me, and has looked like me growing up, it’s been a hard one.

Shopping in the Women’s section of Sears during grade school wasn’t exactly my most fashionable moment. I mean, elastic waist denim slacks are elastic waist denim slacks, there’s no awesome way to spin it.

I knew what tunics and house dresses were at far too young an age.

There just weren’t very many plus size icons back then. Except, you know, Roseanne.

Junior high and high school were no better, even getting down to a size 10 or 12, the fashion options still sucked.

Everything was so tiny in the 90′s. Except flannel.

I remember going to sleep in soaking wet Express jeans, hoping that by morning, they’d be dry and not so tight.

I lost a lot of weight in college. A lot…a lot…..a lot.

I remember coming home one weekend and my dad saying, Wow, you’re really pretty. First time.

I mean, I still had boobs and hips, that was straight up genetics, but obviously, something must look better.

I was hungry, but I could shop at Abercrombie.

I was exhausted, but I could borrow my friend’s jeans.

My hair was falling out and my nails kept breaking, but I could have sex with the lights on, on purpose.

That lasted exactly one year. I gained a few pounds here and there, nothing like before, but enough to put me back in the plus size.

Size 12 was my body’s pre-kids happy place. Which sounds like an awesome place to be, except that my 20 year old brain was an asshole. Size 12 might as well of been size 40. I was back to not fitting into the things I drooled over in magazines, and not feeling as pretty as any of the pretty people wearing all the pretty, pretty things.

For years, I have felt shut out of the fashion process.

What’s that, clothing industry? You’re giving me Lane Bryant? Well, thanks! Finally a place I can buy super expensive clothes that slightly resemble the clothes everyone else on the face of the planet is wearing.

Cheaper Plus Size shops popped up here and there, and it’s nice to have a slightly more affordable option, if you feel like wading through the Tweety Bird and Boyz Drool Graphic tshirts, which I don’t. (Seriously, is there some weird algorithm you use at designer headquarters that links hot wing consumption with an increase in cliche teen dialect and cartoon character affection?)

Why should they design for curvy and plus size women? Never mind the fact that when I go to mainstream retailers like Old Navy or GAP to find cute clothes, the large sizes are long gone, leaving me with a selection of extra smalls and zeros.

Thankfully, they allow us to order online, because, as everyone knows, if there is anyone who needs to try on clothes, it’s not plus size women.

Wait, is this our real life Hunger Games? A way for clothing manufacturers to remind us that we’re less than, and to be thankful for the XXL bone they toss to us every shipment, leaving us to square off against some other curvy girl who needs the shirt, probably just as badly, you know, to have something cute to eat in?

And then something snapped.

It was 3am and I was wide awake, having reached the end of the internet, when a final check of my Facebook stream brought me this.

Motivation.

I’ve spent the last year getting to know my body, and re-learning how to dress it, and with that, returned my love of fashion.

I’ve decided I don’t want to feel shut out of the fashion industry anymore, I want to rally it.

I am a person worth designing for. You are a person worth designing for.

I F’ing love you in a totally she-gets-it nonsexual kind of way even more after this post! What’s disgusting about the fashion idiots… I mean industry… is that while they make normal-size women feel as though they are only good enough for caftans, the only clothes they make for young and teenaged girls would make streetwalkers blush. Seriously! My husband and I chaperoned a semiformal dance last year for the 9th and 10th graders. He turned to me at the end of the night, thanked me for giving him sons, and asked if dresses are only sold in one-yard lengths – most of the girls spent the night pulling up and down the same little piece of fabric.

As for size, I’m there too. Never skinny or even average in school, the only time in my life I was “skinny” (5’8″ and 142 lbs.) was when I had no money for food (lived on cottage cheese and produce from Haymarket – Boston’s produce market), lived in 5th floor apartment in a building with a broken elevator, and smoked a pack a week. 20 years, five pregnancies, three boys, and 55 pounds later, I’m a 16/18, and FINALLY found a place to buy clothes that (on sale) aren’t too expensive but a little dressier than my jeans and tshirt tops. Talbot’s has larger sizes, and they’re made for women with boobs and hips, not stick figures.

I could have written the exact same story when describing my childhood shopping experiences with the added pleasure of having my beast of a mother telling me how awful I looked and poking me in the stomach continuously repeating “hold it in” within ear’s reach of whatever sales lady was near. I hope to one day have your peace. I’m a work in progress. You look great

You should really check out JMS. And, not just because I work for Hanes and JMS is one of our brands. Our JMS line of clothes not only fits, it is trend-right and VERY affordable!

You know I’ve followed you for years – love everything you share with your readers so I’m not just coming by one time to hype JMS – I wear it and I love it. JMS panties are THE BEST full-figure underwear available anywhere and again, soooo affordable! Do give JMS a try, I think you’ll love it as much as I do!

Brittany,
Unbelievably enough I found a great pair of jeans (The Skinny Boot) in the gap today. They run a little big and are stretch so thats fun, and they are made of the softest jean fabric ever – but the best part is the fit. I normally would never consider trying on “skinny” jeans but these are different. The Skinny Boot is really a good fit and flattering for normal sized chics (14 and up!). They were a bitch to find on the gap website so good luck. Also, at my gap they were $8.99!!! I would include a picture of my bad self in my awesome jeans but the comment section is for words…

I absolutely love reading your blog. I’m a few weeks from 25 and compared to other girl my age I feel fat. I’m 5’3″ and almost 140. My husband says I’m sexy, he says numbers are just that, numbers. He says that I’m just as hot as when we just met. I never really believed what he was saying until I started reading your blog and realized that weight doesn’t matter. As long as I’m healthy I’m happy. Thank you for making me realize that I’m sexy no matter what my size!!

I lost 30 pounds over the course of my pregnancy, which took me to the weight I was at…God knows when, but now an attack from PPD has caused me to sit in bed and eat (and maybe some of my own bad habits too) Thanks for the little boost of self-esteem

Just this
Thanks for being you
You say what we all feel
What we all know
Vomit in Grocery Bags
Husbands with Booger Shish kabob nosehairs and OMG Ear Hair toupees????
Fat Pants and then the back up…. xxFat Pants
I admire you but most of all
I and all of us who read, know you are real.
And thanks and Kudos to making a living being a real Mom in 2012.
Love the Vodka Skittles
Realizing one day, we may see you meltdown with the HUGE dog
and realizing you and Andy have the real thing
Love on the Truest level of all
Life…. Love
and Poop

I am a dress designer and I hear you loud and clear. I myself am only plus sized on my bottom half, so it’s even harder to find clothes that fit than if I was the same plus size on top. So I started my own brand. It’s called PerfectPear… I’m on my very first season right now.